Reducing damage dice & hit point pools

[Garfunion]

Yep I’m at it again but this time I’ve decided to reduce the amount of hit points all creatures process and (damage)die values.
The chart below shows the new values for dice.

Less - 1d4 = 1
1d6 = 2
1d8 = 3
1d10 = 4
1d12 = 5

When determining a PCs hit points, it will look like these examples.

Barbarian
•Hit Points at 1st Level: 12 + your Constitution modifier
•Hit Points at Higher Levels: 5 per barbarian level after 1st

Cleric
•Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
•Hit Points at Higher Levels: 3 per cleric level after 1st

Wizard
•Hit Points at 1st Level: 6 + your Constitution modifier
•Hit Points at Higher Levels: 2 per wizard level after 1st

When it comes to creatures hit points, a similar model will be used.
The first hit die a creature possesses will be maxed out for hit points. Each additional hit die level will used the reduced die value for hit points.

When determining damage, you use the new die value instead. You also do not add any ability modifiers as bonus damage.

So how does everyone feel about these changes?

[Mellack]

What is your reasoning/goal for doing this?
It is going to lessen the impact of stats and decrease the randomness since you have no rolling for damage.
How would you account for all the damage additions? (Hex, sneak attack, smites, etc)

[Lombra]

What is your reasoning/goal for doing this?
It is going to lessen the impact of stats and decrease the randomness since you have no rolling for damage.
How would you account for all the damage additions? (Hex, sneak attack, smites, etc)

It enhances the impact of stats.

If with a DEX of 16 you swing a dagger, your DEX mod can be from 75% to 43% of the damage you normally deal (75 in case you roll 1, 43 in case you roll 4).

In this case, DEX would always account for 75% of the damage, and since all of the new damage dice values are below the die's average, it means that any modifier to the roll will be of greater impact than before.

[Garfunion]

What is your reasoning/goal for doing this?
It is going to lessen the impact of stats and decrease the randomness since you have no rolling for damage.
How would you account for all the damage additions? (Hex, sneak attack, smites, etc)
As I have said, die values have been reduced to their new value listed on the table.
Hex =+2 damage
Sneak attack (3d6) 2+2+2=6

The goal is to reduce randomness and speed up combat. You’ll still be rolling at d20 and of course percentile die. Any die that is listed on the table now has a fixed value.

[Lombra]

Daggers shouldn't be as dangerous as fists tho.

[Pex]

The less time you spend rolling dice is made up by having to think to do the math, so no time is saved. The lack of randomness also tends to be boring because everything is predictable. You also infringe upon class abilities such as Great Weapon Style and Empower Spell that want to reroll dice. Bless and Bane spells, Bardic Inspiration, and Battlemaster Maneuver dice are also adversely affected.

You are adding a lot of extra work for little to no gain.

[Garfunion]

It enhances the impact of stats.

If with a DEX of 16 you swing a dagger, your DEX mod can be from 75% to 43% of the damage you normally deal (75 in case you roll 1, 43 in case you roll 4).

In this case, DEX would always account for 75% of the damage, and since all of the new damage dice values are below the die's average, it means that any modifier to the roll will be of greater impact than before.
I may not have been clear in my original post, as of right now you do not add your stat modifiers to any damage you do. Feats and class features may provide alternate bonus damage.

[Sigreid]

Eh, not something that appeals to me but if it sparkles with your table give it a shot and tell us how it works

[DMThac0]

As Sigreid said, if it works for your table, have fun.

I added more HP to my player's pools, as a separate pool. When the first pool is depleted they are at disadvantage on any aggressive action. They still play like normal, smacking away relentlessly at the sacks of HP. When that first pool of HP is depleted and that first disadvantage roll comes about, they change tune rapidly. However, the transition to the secondary HP pool is still a little clunky.

Playing with the numbers, highlighting aspects of the game (such as ability score influence and damage dice), you usually add confusion to what is (generally speaking) a decently streamlined game. If you can make this method work at your table have at it, but selling it to others will be easier after you play test it.

[Eric Diaz]

It won't break the game but...


You are adding a lot of extra work for little to no gain.

This is my impression too.


The goal is to reduce randomness and speed up combat. You’ll still be rolling at d20 and of course percentile die. Any die that is listed on the table now has a fixed value.

If that's the goal, it would be easier to just take averages, without reworking the whole game. Maybe round the averages down: 1d4 to 2, 1d6 to 3, etc. Easier to do the math on the moment, less damage to the game as a whole.

[Eric Diaz]

I may not have been clear in my original post, as of right now you do not add your stat modifiers to any damage you do. Feats and class features may provide alternate bonus damage.

This.... will make combat longer, not faster! If I understand that right.

[KorvinStarmast]

You are adding a lot of extra work for little to no gain. This, and what Eric said: this will not make combat faster.

[No brains]

I'm with most other people with this not seeming like a good idea, with this really standing out to me:


Daggers shouldn't be as dangerous as fists tho.

This effectively makes clubs a non-weapon. The only thing I can see benefiting here is that this theoretically makes blowguns competitive, assuming they keep their flat 1 damage.

The lack of ability scores to damage is also going to hurt martials/ potent spellcasters in the long run as it takes away any edge a character could have gained on a basic cantrip. It looks like firebolt would rule this system.

I guess you either don't allow/ have nerfed Sharpshooter and Great Weapon Master since lowered damage dice and no ability bonus to damage is a colossal boon for a flat +10 damage bonus.

Edit: Clubs would still be useful in two weapon fighting and TWF gets along pretty well with these new rules.

[Snails]

Removing ability mods to damage is huge, so much so that the die-to-flat conversion hardly matters.

This will definitely make combat slower, overall.

It will also necessitate the tweaking of lots of damaging spells.
Typical RAW 6th level swordsman might do 8.5 (d8+4)
Typical RAW fireball does 28 (save for half)
New 6th level swordsman does 3
New fireball does 16
So the ratios have drifted from 1:3.3, to 1:5.3.

[Mellack]

When determining damage, you use the new die value instead. You also do not add any ability modifiers as bonus damage.


So that would mean getting hit by a longsword from a strength 10 guard hurts just as much as a strength 24 barbarian. Sure the barbarian hits more often, but I don't think those two should be the same damage.